


Hold On (It's Going to Get Real)

by Winterstar



Series: The Kent Rogers Cycle [3]
Category: DC Cinematic Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-28
Updated: 2015-05-28
Packaged: 2018-04-01 16:51:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4027516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winterstar/pseuds/Winterstar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After weeks in recovery, Steve finally agrees to give an interview on his status as Captain America to a reporter from the Daily Planet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hold On (It's Going to Get Real)

“Can you make it old man?” 

Steve smirks at Tony and, using the cane, hobbles to the chair in the main living room of his quarters at the New Avengers Facility. There’s another chair across from the one Tony designates for Steve to sit in. That chair, the opposite one, is wooden and chipped. It looks like it might tip over if someone sits in it. The one Steve settles in is cushioned and sturdy. 

He quirks a brow at Tony and says, “Really?”

“What? I’m trying to take care of a national treasure here, and you’re complaining? You’re going to be grilled for the next hour by a second rate newspaper reporter. For Pete’s sake, a newspaper reporter, not even someone from CNN or the Huffington Post.”

Leaning the cane against the arm of the chair and putting up his other hand, Steve says, “Please, Tony, don’t, not again.”

“Not again,” Tony whistles then and shakes his head while he stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Again, tell me why I’m letting you run this team.”

“Letting me?” Steve frowns and that eyebrow raises again. “As I recall you repeatedly told Hill that I led the team, plus you went off with Pepper to buy a farm.”

Tony screws up his face at the last remark and Steve chuckles, holding his side where tender new skin has only just replaced the abraded modeled burns. 

“You don’t like it,” Steve cracks, and he can’t help it but he’s laughing. “You hate it. You actually did it, didn’t you? You bought a farm and thought you would love it. The quiet, the chickens, the cows.”

“God damned chickens are clucking and hooting at dawn, did you know that?” Tony says. 

Steve smiles. “Pretty sure even a city boy like me knows about roosters and sunrise, Tony.”

“Save me, Capsicle, tell Pepper you need me here,” Tony says and puts his hands together in a plea.

“Oh, I know not to get in between a woman and her man. No, thank you,” Steve says. Before he can entertain more scenarios of Tony the farmer, there’s a slight knock on the door. “Come?”

Wanda enters, her eyes are darkened; she’s upset. “The reporter, the one you asked for, he is here.”

Tony interrupts his response by stepping in front of Steve and saying, “Come on, Cap, let me at least get the Pulitzer Prize winner, Lois Lane from the Daily Planet. Come on.”

“No, I said I wanted Clark Kent -.” He pauses, takes in a deep breath. His lungs sing with the air, fresh and healthy again. “I want to give him a chance.”

“According to Sam, he’s been creeping around here a lot. He found him in your bedroom once? Now you’re going to allow him full access, allow him to discuss the Avengers and answer his questions.”

“We have to do something to stem the tide, Tony. If we don’t, the Avengers will end up an underground organization with all the governments of the world after us,” Steve answers.

“Maybe the Avengers aren’t needed?” he returns.

“You don’t believe that and neither do I,” Steve says. “There are too many threats.”

Tony considers him, hands back in his pockets. “Sometimes I do believe it, you know, sometimes I think it’s more trouble than it’s worth.”

Steve bends slightly to angle around Tony to see Wanda. “Let him in.” He straightens and then says to Tony, “I think this is a conversation for another time, don’t you?”

Tony nearly growls at Steve, but shrugs it off as Clark enters the living room. Turning Tony faces Clark, stares at him for a full minute before stepping out of the way and allowing access to Steve. He takes a few steps toward the door before he looks over his shoulder at Steve. “You want I stay?”

“No, I’m good,” Steve says and both Tony and Wanda depart, but not without Tony whispering in Wanda’s ear as he eyes Clark. That can’t be good.

Once the door closes, Clark crosses the room and ignores the wooden chair. He starts to kneel at Steve’s feet. “Get up, get in the chair.”

It stuns Clark and Steve’s not sure if it is the words or the tone. He’s not sure if he means to be cold, but he does mean to get to the root of what’s going on around here. He has no memory of the assault, the rescue, or the first days of his hospital stay. Those days are only clouded in pain.

Clark stumbles to the chair, unsure and uneasy. He rights himself and glares at Steve. “Perhaps we can start with a few questions about who is accountable when the Avengers cause havoc, deaths, and mayhem.”

Steve is unmoved and watches him, not speaking.

“Perhaps you can tell me why this so called Superman is hunted, but the Avengers are lauded and praised for causing considerable damage as well,” Clark lashes out.

“You finally came,” Steve says, undeterred, and he knows bitterness laces his voice. He promised himself not to be petty about it, but it’s hard since Steve has been through one of the most painful recoveries he’s ever experienced in the last three weeks. 

Clark won’t be baited. “You finally invited me.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I think it is,” Clark says and Steve notices for the first time an unhealthy pallor to Clark’s visage. “Especially since your local millionai-.”

“Billionaire,” Steve says.

“Billionaire playboy wouldn’t let me come, kicked me out-.” He stops and shifts. “We’re not going to have this interview, are we?”

“Kicked you out of where?” Steve says, ignoring his question because he knows Clark did not come here for the chance to interview Captain America.

“The hospital,” Clark says and he studies Steve, analyzing him. Probably checking his heartbeat, scanning him for residual injuries. “They didn’t tell you, did they? No one told you? You don’t remember.”

“Remember what?” He gets the sinking idea that someone has been hiding something from him – and it is probably Tony. He’s also aware that Tony probably convinced the rest of the group to go along with it.

Clark bows his head and hisses out an answer, “I was there, I was there, and he hid it from you.”

“You were there? You came to the hospital?” Steve asks. His heart thickens in his throat like someone has a chokehold on him. 

Clark looks up at him, his eyes – those crystalline blue eyes - burn through him hotter than the fire when it flayed skin from his body. “I was there, I was the one who rescued you from the fire. I flew you to the hospital. He told me to go, to leave.”

“Who did, why?” Steve says and grips the arms to his chair.

“He did, Stark, did. He wanted me gone because he saw me with you, he heard me – I told him.”

“You, Clark-.”

“No, Superman, he saw me as Superman holding you, telling you I love-.” He falters then, the anger flares and dissipates as tears roll down his cheeks. “I’ve missed you, I stayed away because of him. I did what was ask-.”

Steve doesn’t stop, only staggers the meter between them and falls to his knees in front of Clark. Pain streaks up his healing legs, but he doesn’t care. “I didn’t know, I had no idea.” He reaches up and lays the palm of his hand against Clark’s cheek. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

Clark cups his hand over Steve’s. “I did this, held you like this, in the hospital, when you were barely al-.” He stops, hesitates as if nightmares torment him, and starts again. “I was there, I held your broken and bleeding body in my arms. Don’t make me do it again. Don’t make me leave.” He curls forward and Steve gathers him to his chest, tight and held.

“Cap, I wanted to check on-.” Tony halts as they both look at him. “What the hell kind of interview-.”

Steve meets Clark’s gaze and, with a nod from him, turns back to Tony. “Tony, I’d like you to meet someone.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](http://winterstar95.tumblr.com)  
> If you find minor errors please tell me, I will try and fix them. I am not using a beta for these short fics.
> 
> I am more than happy to take prompts for this rare pairing. Please send it through tumblr or post it here! Thanks!


End file.
